Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 443 Shipping Industry

At the mouth of the La Plata River, several warships belching thick smoke and blasting shrill whistles were sailing on the water.

Surrounding the warships were various ships of different sizes and types, including small inland steamers of thirty to fifty tons, ocean-going transport ships with a total tonnage of more than three thousand tons, wooden fishing boats powered by sails, and large ocean-going trawlers powered by steam.

Several large and sinister-looking ironclad warships sailed into the middle of the fleet, causing some interference to the ships in the surrounding waters. However, when the sailors on the ships saw the rows of red dragon flags flying high on the warships, they immediately felt at ease. At first, there was some chaos caused by the warships intruding into the fleet, but under the control of the sailors one by one, normal order was quickly restored.

The Paraná River basin includes the Han Kingdom, Paraguay, and Brazil. The ships sailing at the entrance of La Plata are not only from the Han Kingdom, but warships from Paraguay, the Republic of Brazil, and even the United Kingdom can also be seen frequently.

In order to resolve the war disputes, after the end of the Second Argentine War in 1879, the Han Kingdom, Paraguay, the Republic of Brazil and the United Kingdom signed the "South Paraná River Free Navigation Agreement". The agreement gave the United Kingdom, Paraguay and the Republic of Brazil the right to freely navigate and trade in the Paraná River basin. Correspondingly, Han merchant ships also obtained the right to freely navigate in waters controlled by Paraguay and the Republic of Brazil. However, due to the insistence of the Han government, the right of free navigation on the Paraná River is limited to civilian merchant ships. Warships of other countries have no right to enter the inland river basin of the Paraná River unless they obtain the consent of the Han government.

The persistence of the Han government won the understanding of the British side. From mid-1879 to the end of 1888, for about ten years, no British naval ship passed through Han waters and entered the inland basin of the Paraná River without authorization. However, at the end of May 1889, the situation changed drastically. The King of Paraguay, Lopez Jr., died unexpectedly, and the domestic situation in Paraguay got out of control. The four-member regency committee, the anti-rebel coalition and even the local powerful armed forces seized control of each area. The domestic ruling order in Paraguay collapsed, and ordinary Paraguayan people, businessmen and even foreign expatriates were attacked and detained by local armed personnel.

In order to protect its expatriates, the British government sent a note to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 1889, 6, requesting the dispatch of warships to cross the estuary of the La Plata River and enter the inland waters of the Paraná River to protect its expatriates whose lives and property were seriously threatened.

The British government's request was reasonable, but considering the importance of the Paraná River waterway, the Han government politely rejected the British request.

On June 1889, 6, after seven days of emergency consultations, the British government made certain compromises and agreed to send the Chinese Navy to pick up and evacuate British expatriates stranded in Paraguay, while British warships were allowed to anchor 10 nautical miles east of the La Plata estuary to pick up the evacuated expatriates.

After the Han and British sides reached a consensus on the evacuation of stranded expatriates in Paraguay, the originally busy Paraná River waterway became even more lively. From day to night every day, not only a large number of ships carrying expatriates and merchants from foreign Western countries sailed out of the Paraná River waters under the escort of the Han navy, but also a larger number of Paraguayan businessmen and dignitaries carrying all their assets boarded transport ships from the Han, Britain and other countries to escape from the Paraguayan controlled area.

Paraguay's total population before the war was 52. Except for a small number of upper-class people who defected to the Han Dynasty, a larger proportion of Paraguayan merchants, landlords, and nobles chose to leave the chaotic Paraguay, carrying the wealth they had accumulated in Paraguay, and start a new life in Canada, Mexico, the United States and even Europe.

The increasing number of evacuated people increased the transportation pressure in the Paraná River Basin. In the nearly one month after June 1889, the number of navigation accidents in the Paraná River Basin increased ten times compared to usual. For the first time, incidents such as confrontations and fights among sailors caused by congested waterways and ship collisions exceeded 6.

The water security in the Paraná River has been affected by the Paraguayan Civil War. The Han Inland River Guard Fleet has dispatched various types of gunboats to strengthen the security and management of domestic waterways. Sailors and ordinary fishermen who make a living from the shipping industry have also paid more attention to water navigation safety after learning about the recent changes in the situation.

The Paraná River is the most important waterway in the Han Dynasty. Its strategic significance to the Han Dynasty is more important than that of the Yangtze River to the Jiangnan region.

The Paraná-La Plata River is the second largest river in South America. From its source, the Paranáíba River, it is 4100 kilometers long. Its tributaries include Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and China, and its basin area exceeds 400 million square kilometers.

The Paraná-La Plata River is located in South America, and its drainage basin is second only to the Amazon River, making it the thirteenth largest river in the world. The scenery along the coast is pleasant. It begins at the confluence of the Grande River and the Paranaiba River, flows southwest through central and southern Brazil to Guaira, and then passes between Brazil and Paraguay, passing Corrientes and entering the Pampas Plain. It flows southwest and then southeast to merge with the Uruguay River, called the La Plata River, and finally flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Paraná River includes hundreds of tributaries, large and small. The more than 400 million square kilometers of watershed along the way are the most fertile soil areas in South America. The crops along the coast are abundant, and various crops such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, and rice grow vigorously. There are countless livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep, alpacas, and the Southern Anhui black pigs, white domestic pigs, and wild boars introduced by the Han government from the mainland (depending on the different climates in various parts of the local area, the introduced domestic pigs and wild boars are also different, including South China wild boars, North China wild boars, Mongolian wild boars, Yunnan dwarf black pigs, etc.).

It can be said that the existence of the Paraná River is like paving a railway with a total mileage of more than 10 kilometers for the Han mainland, creating the most favorable conditions for economic connections and communications among various parts of the Han Kingdom.

Moreover, due to the wide width of the Paraná River (the widest point is 290 kilometers, the narrowest point is 20 kilometers) and the vast area (the Yangtze River basin covers an area of ​​180 million square kilometers), it allows 600-ton ocean-going ships to sail to kilometers inland waters. For local areas, civilian ships with a tonnage of only a few hundred tons or one or two thousand tons generally sail on the wide inland waters of the Paraná River as if they were sailing on the sea, and rarely encounter difficulties in navigation.

The direct and potential strategic roles of the Paraná River are far more important than the 10 kilometers of railway. Due to the Paraguayan Civil War, when the navigation conditions in the Paraná River waters were somewhat hindered, the local people who made a living from the shipping industry still insisted on going out to sea for transportation and fishing.

Li Mingyuan, who holds a high position and is in charge of the overall development of the local area, cannot possibly turn a blind eye to the current water security situation in the Paraná River.

"Your Majesty, this is the navigation management record of ships at the mouth of the Paraná River in the past month. Please take a look."

Inside the cabin of the 3500-ton Pioneer armored cruiser, Mei Ruiying, Director General of the Ministry of Railways and Transportation Development, handed over a thick notebook and said respectfully.

"I'll review the contents of the notebook later when I have time. Now, please give us a brief introduction to the public security management situation in the Paraná River Basin."

Li Mingyuan put the notebook aside and spoke.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Mei Ruiying looked down at the people standing in the cabin and explained, "In June 1889, there were a total of 6 public security incidents in the Parana River Basin, of which 127 were local public security management incidents and 81 were foreign-related public security management incidents.

Among the 46 foreign-related public security management incidents, 23 involved Paraguay, 6 involved British expatriates, 7 involved water security incidents involving expatriates from other countries, and 10 involved American fishermen.

Among the 6 maritime security incidents that occurred in June, those that occurred between local citizens were less harmful, while those involving foreigners were relatively more harmful. Among them, illegal fishing by American fishing boats in the southern coastal waters of the mainland was the most harmful, and had the greatest negative impact on the maritime security of the mainland's inland rivers and coastal waters. "Has the illegal fishing activities of Americans on the Atlantic coast of the mainland not been effectively controlled?"

Li Mingyuan frowned and said dissatisfiedly.

"The inland and coastal patrol fleets have always been responsible for combating illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats in the coastal waters of the country. In 1885, after the coordinated crackdown by local fishermen and the coastal patrol fleet, the phenomenon of illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats began to be effectively curbed. However, from the beginning of 1889, according to the central government's war readiness order, the main ships of the inland and coastal patrol fleets were transferred to inland waters to perform security and weapons, ammunition and material transportation tasks. The security forces in the La Plata River estuary basin and the coastal waters of central and southern Paraguay were insufficient. At the same time, the Paraguayan Civil War coincided with the window period of water security management when the number of foreign ships in the Paraná River basin increased. Therefore, the problem of illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats, which had been basically solved earlier, reappeared."

"Has your Ministry of Transportation and the Coast Guard Fleet not thought of a way to deal with this?"

"Your Majesty, the Coast Guard Fleet has reported the problem of illegal fishing by American fishing boats to the Navy Department. However, after the Navy Department discussed it and provided several response plans, it still did not have a good deterrent effect."

The offshore patrol fleet is under the Navy. It is within the Navy's jurisdiction to crack down on illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats in the mainland's offshore waters. So after Li Mingyuan asked, Navy Chief Chen Sen took the lead in explaining: "After the 1885 law enforcement crackdown, American fishing boats also learned a lesson. According to the illegal fishing incidents reported by the offshore patrol fleet, since February 1889, American fishing boats active in Mar del Plata, Blanca Bay and the southernmost Patagonia offshore waters are all medium and large ocean-going trawlers equipped with light self-defense weapons. The tonnage of the fishing boats is generally over 2 tons, and they are generally equipped with old-style breech-loading guns. Some fishing boats over 2000 tons are even equipped with Gatling hand-cranked machine guns and artillery.

The maritime security forces in the coastal waters of the central and southern parts of the mainland are temporarily empty. The coastal security tasks are mainly undertaken by armed fishing boats that go out to sea for fishing activities. However, the tonnage of domestic offshore trawlers is generally less than 1000 tons, and the weapons they are equipped with are also old-fashioned muzzle-loading guns that were eliminated in the early days. When engaging in armed confrontation with American fishing boats, domestic fishing boats are not only at a disadvantage in tonnage and sailing speed, but also in terms of weapons and equipment. (More than % of domestic fishing boats are old-fashioned wooden sailing boats that have been eliminated, and a small number are steamships built in the last decade.) "

"Taiwan and the United States have basically severed all economic and trade exchanges. The U.S. government has always been hostile to the Taiwanese government. The return of U.S. fishing boats to the coastal waters of central and southern Taiwan may have been condoned and encouraged by the U.S. government.

"

The young and middle-aged fishermen and sailors who engage in fishing and hunting activities near the coast of the mainland basically belong to the naval reserve militia. Every time they drive a fishing boat out to sea, they also have the right to carry some old-fashioned guns for self-defense. However, due to different national conditions, there are rated limits on the number of guns and ammunition that the local young and middle-aged fishermen can carry each time they go out to sea. Unlike the American ocean-going fishing vessels controlled by large shipping companies, they can not be equipped with some advanced models of muskets, or even hand-cranked machine guns and artillery.

In terms of fishing vessel weapons and equipment, American fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing have more advantages than local fishing boats. After listening to Chen Sen's explanation, Li Mingyuan quickly understood the difficulties of the navy and local fishermen.

"It is indeed difficult to completely curb the illegal fishing activities of US fishing boats when they do not have an advantage in tonnage, speed, weapons and equipment."

Li Mingyuan slowed down his tone and partially agreed with Chen Sen's point of view: "However, even if there are objective difficulties, we cannot let American fishing boats run rampant in the waters near our mainland. The hydrology and geography of our mainland's coastal waters are national strategic secrets. If the Americans use the action of fishing for marine fish to measure the hydrological conditions of our mainland's coastal waters, it will cause serious damage to our mainland's maritime security.

This situation is not impossible to happen.

In South America, the level of hostility of Americans towards their homeland is second only to that of Britain. Now the Americans are busy fighting with the British for dominance in South America and cannot take care of their homeland for the time being. However, once the Americans withdraw and focus their main attention on their homeland, the local government will face far greater pressure than ever before.

Therefore, for the sake of domestic maritime security, decisive measures must be taken to address the problem of illegal fishing by US fishing vessels."

After Li Mingyuan finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Navy Chief Chen Sen and said, "When discussing the purchase of new armored cruisers some time ago, didn't the Navy reflect the problem of the 1350-ton Yongxing-class light cruiser's insufficient ocean combat performance? Now that American fishing boats are rampant in offshore waters, the six Yongxing-class light cruisers in the Navy fleet do not have to wait for the Orlando-class armored cruisers to return and retire. From now on, the six Yongxing-class light cruisers will be transferred out of the Navy's main fleet to perform security patrols in offshore waters and combat illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats."

"All six Yongxing-class light cruisers were transferred from the main fleet?"

"Yes, transfer all six Yongxing-class light cruisers under the First Fleet from the Frontline Fleet. The other six Yongxing-class light cruisers distributed in other waters will still be assigned to the Navy's Frontline Fleet."

Li Mingyuan nodded and said seriously: "The six Yongxing-class light cruisers that have been transferred will not all be assigned to the offshore security fleet. In view of the increasing pressure on water security in the inland rivers and offshore waters of the mainland, I plan to learn from the experience of European countries and establish a maritime police force specifically responsible for maritime inspections and security tasks.
The maritime police force is coordinated and commanded by the Ministry of Police (established in 1888) and the Naval Reserve Armed Forces Command.

After the six Yongxing-class light cruisers were transferred out and had completed the mission of cracking down on illegal fishing activities by foreign fishing boats, two were selected and delivered to the newly established maritime police force for command, and the remaining four were delivered to the offshore security fleet for use.

The purpose of establishing the Water Guard Force is to share the pressure of the tasks faced by the Coast Guard Fleet. After the Water Guard Force is established, it will be responsible for issues related to water security management, inspection, and smuggling investigation in inland rivers and coastal waters, while the Coast Guard Fleet will focus its main efforts on coastal defense operations and cultivating qualified reserve personnel for the Navy. "

The Police Department was established last year, and Chen Sen expected to transfer the maritime security responsibilities related to the Police Department to the Maritime Police Force. Therefore, after hearing Li Mingyuan's decision, Chen Sen expressed his support in a timely manner: "The Navy's first priority is to protect the safety of the mainland's maritime waters. It is not a long-term solution to have the offshore guard fleet perform maritime security duties on its behalf. Transferring the maritime security responsibilities to the Maritime Police Force will be of great benefit to the regular development of the offshore guard fleet. The Navy agrees with the plan to divide the maritime security responsibilities."

"The waters near the southwest Atlantic and the waters of Patagonia in the south of the mainland are rich in fishery resources. Last year, the mainland caught more than 4.6 tons of tuna, cod, swordfish, shark, whale, king crab and other marine fishery products. The sale and export of marine fishery products brought nearly 600 million Han yuan in fiscal revenue to the central government (equivalent to 320 million taels of silver, accounting for about 1888% of the fiscal revenue of the Han Dynasty in ). I believe that in order to protect the fishery resources in the mainland coastal waters, especially the Patagonia fishing grounds, from illegal fishing by foreign fishing boats, a portion of the funds from the fiscal revenue of marine fishery products should be used to order special police ships and large offshore fishing boats from several large shipyards in the mainland."

Mei Ruiying, Director General of the Ministry of Railways and Transport Development, followed up on Chen Sen’s words and made a suggestion.

"The establishment of a maritime police force is urgent, and the fishery resources in the coastal waters of central and southern Taiwan also need to be protected urgently."

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment and continued, "The first 5000-ton ocean-going ship of Xinghe Shipyard has experienced two ocean voyages, and all technical indicators have reached the requirements for performing ocean transportation tasks. When we arrive at Xinghe Shipyard and personally inspect the first 5000-ton ship built independently in China, we will ask Xinghe Shipyard to customize a maritime police ship suitable for domestic offshore security and a large trawler suitable for fishing in the Patagonian waters."…………

(End of this chapter)